What You Should Understand About Earwax Accumulation

When you shower, always remember to clean your ears. Whenever you say that, you inescapably use your “parent voice”. Perhaps when you were a child you even recall your parents telling you to do it. As you get wrapped up in past nostalgia, that sort of memory can take you back to simpler times.

But it’s also great advice. Out-of-control earwax buildup can cause a substantial number of problems, particularly for your hearing. And on top of that, earwax can solidify inside your ear and become really difficult to clean. Bottom line, you’ll be best off keeping those ears clean.

Excessive earwax? Eww!

Earwax is, well, sort of gross. That’s an opinion that most people share. But earwax does have a purpose. Earwax is produced by glands inside of your ears and is then pushed out when you chew in order to keep your ears free of dirt and dust.

So your ears will remain clean and healthy when they generate the ideal amount of earwax. However counterintuitive it sounds, the truth is that earwax itself is not a sign of poor hygiene.

The problems start when your ears generate too much earwax. And, understandably, it can sometimes be a bit difficult to tell when a healthy quantity of earwax begins to outweigh its usefulness (literally).

What does accumulated earwax do?

So, what develops as a consequence of accumulated earwax? There are numerous issues that could develop due to out-of-control earwax or earwax that builds up over time. Those issues include:

• Infection: Infections can be the consequence of surplus earwax. If fluid builds up, it can become trapped behind impacted earwax.
• Earache: One of the most common signs of accumulated earwax is an earache. Sometimes, it doesn’t hurt that bad, and other times it can hurt a lot. This is typically a result of the earwax creating pressure somewhere it shouldn’t.
• Dizziness: Your ability to maintain balance depends greatly on your inner ear. You can suffer from bouts of dizziness and balance issues when your inner ear is having problems.
• Tinnitus: Tinnitus is a condition where you hear a phantom ringing or buzzing in your ears. Tinnitus symptoms can appear or get worse when earwax accumulates inside your ear.

These are just a few. Ignored earwax can cause painful headaches. Excessive earwax can interfere with the functionality of hearing aids. So excessive earwax may make you think your hearing aids are having problems.

Can your hearing be affected by earwax?

Well, yes it can. One of the most typical problems associated with excess earwax is hearing loss. When earwax accumulates in the ear canal it causes a blockage of sound causing a form of hearing loss known as conductive hearing loss. Your hearing will usually go back to normal after the wax is cleared out.

But there can be long-term damage caused by accumulated earwax, particularly if the buildup gets severe enough. The same is true of earwax-related tinnitus. It’s typically temporary. But the longer the excess earwax sticks around (that is, the longer you neglect the symptoms), the bigger the risk of long-term damage.

Prevention, treatment, or both?

If you want to protect your hearing, then it makes sense to keep an eye on your earwax. In many cases, earwax buildup is caused not by excess production but by improper cleaning (a cotton swab, for instance, will frequently compress the earwax in your ear instead of getting rid of it, eventually leading to a blockage).

It will often call for professional eradication of the wax that has become hardened to the point that you can’t remove it. The sooner you get that treatment, the sooner you’ll be capable of hearing again (and the sooner you’ll be able to start cleaning your ears the correct way).